This invention relates to the ventilation of toilets to better remove from the surrounding air the unpleasant odors that are a necessary by-product of normal bodily functions. This improved toilet ventilation system is not only easy to install and quiet in operation, but also reliable, easy to service, and cost efficient.
The introduction of affordable and effective widespread indoor plumbing was a huge convenience for both families and individuals alike. Trips to the outhouse in the middle of the night, or during cold or foul weather, were no longer necessary to tend to nature""s call. Such treks were rendered obsolete, but the onset of indoor plumbing solved one set of problems and brought with it some others.
Now that the bathrooms were inside the home and included within the living quarters, so too were the offensive odors and fumes which accompany defecation. Opening a window for simple ventilation was not always possible or practical if the bathroom was not located next to an outside wall or the weather was cold or rainy. Consequently, numerous inventions have addressed the bathroom ventilation issue.
An early example of an attempt to solve this problem is U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,493. Here, the invention is the device incorporating a fan mounted either on or near the toilet, with the fan being activated by a switch embedded in the toilet seat. U.S. Pat. No. 1,894,846 combats bathroom odor problems by placing both a motor and a fan inside the toilet. The internal fan pulls in the rancid air through ventilation holes along the inside of the toilet seat. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,171,903, 1,700,936, and 2,151,138 all similarly utilize costly and complicated fan and motor arrangements to achieve bathroom ventilation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,937 has a motor but uses a complex deodorizing system with the foul air being drawn through an antiseptic solution for purification purposes. However, the prior art has not provided a simple and inexpensive system with basic components that can be easily installed as original or aftermarket equipment.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a simple toilet ventilator which removes foul bathroom odors before the odors escape from the toilet bowl and vents them either to an attic, to the outside, or between adjacent walls.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a toilet ventilator that is quiet, simple and inexpensive in cost and maintenance.
The above objectives are accomplished by the present invention in an apparatus that can be marketed in a toilet ventilator combination or as an after market toilet ventilator add on. The present invention rids the bathroom of unpleasant fumes through an exhaust manifold which is disposed between the toilet bowl and the toilet tank. The exhaust manifold communicates with the interior of the toilet bowl. The toilet tank may rest on top of the exhaust manifold which may have a central opening to allow water to pass from the toilet tank to the toilet bowl. At least one connector duct is connected to the back of the exhaust manifold. The unpleasant bathroom odors are drawn through the connector duct from the exhaust manifold into a draft box. The draft box houses a heat source, most advantageously a light bulb that turns on when a motion detector connected to the present invention detects a person approaching the commode. The motion detector is equipped with a time delay device that turns the heat source off after a predetermined period of time while heated air continues to rise and ventilate the toilet bowl. As the air surrounding the heat source heats up, it begins to rise and is carried out through the exhaust pipe connected to the draft box. The exhaust pipe can vent either to the outside, an attic, or even between the sheet rock of a wall. The draft box can be located either behind the wall adjacent to the toilet or can be located above the toilet tank.
To service the present invention there may be an access door cut into the wall so that a service door of the draft box can be easily accessed in order to service the draft box heat source. Access to the draft box would be less important if the invention were installed without an electric heat source, utilizing instead the hot air in an attic to create a draft and pull fumes upward.
There are many advantages of the present invention over the prior art. The exhaust manifold takes in the sullied air directly from the toilet bowl, thereby minimizing its escape into the room. The device is very efficient in this manner and as such works quickly as only the fumes are ventilated. The invention does not filter all of the air in the room. Although there are already patents which take fumes directly from the toilet bowl, these patents utilize fans to create the draft and the toilet user could potentially experience some unpleasant suction or airflow. The draft created by the present invention which removes odors is based on the simple law of physics that xe2x80x9cheat rises.xe2x80x9dAccordingly, the shift in air is slight and unnoticeable, and may even be continuous. In contradistinction to ventilators using a fan and a motor, the present invention works silently. There are no disruptive motors or fans whirring away.
In not requiring a motor to operate, the present invention also has the advantage of easy maintenance. To service and maintain a toilet ventilator motor and the devices claimed in the majority of the prior art, it would be both costly and complicated for the consumer. The present invention, however, may be as simple as changing a light bulb. This convenience could be appreciated both in a family home or a restroom with heavy traffic, such as in a welcome center or restaurant.